New Mom Sickened by Listeria: "Food Safety Affects Everyone"

Merrill Behnke, of Bellevue, WA, was a healthy and proud new mom when a listeria infection caused by imported ricotta salata cheese put her in the hospital for 16 days. She describes the physical and emotional toll of her illness in this video. Unfortunately, her story is not unique. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year 48 million Americans are sickened and 3,000 die from foodborne illnesses. Full implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the largest overhaul of the nation's food safety system since the Great Depression, will help to reduce the number of Americans who suffer from foodborne infections. http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/projects/food-safety.

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